Rocket Launchers Sought by ATF Agents

[maddezmom]

Federal agents continued to search a sprawling warehouse near Oakland International Airport on Saturday, looking for weapons, including devices used to launch rockets from vehicles, officials said.

Officials would not disclose the exact nature of the investigation, but they said the search was not related to terrorism.

"It's an ongoing investigation," said Marti McKee, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sbriefs18.2apr18,1,510527.story?coll=la-headlines-california

this is strange :eyes:

[Randi_Listener]

1. "Not related to terrorism"?!?

Oh, OK.....

:rolleyes: x 10,000

[DBoon]

7. Means its jus ord'nary Mericans

trying to use their second amendment rights to own rocket launchers, in case those evil jack-booted feds come after them like they did to David Koresh.

[maddezmom]

2. here's another link- updated

~snip~
After getting a warrant to search for rocket launchers and other military weaponry, more than 200 officers from federal, state and local agencies raided the complex early Friday, federal officials said.

The search of the warehouse was completed by Friday night.

Officers seized documents but found no weapons, said Marti McKee, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Harold Chapman, 65, the owner of the building, said he suspected that someone he knows called one of the agencies as a prank.

"Of course it's unfounded. I don't have any ground-to-air missiles," he said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0404180524apr18,1,5656746.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

[maddezmom]

3. FBI causes $1 million damage , says owner

~snip~
On Saturday morning, Chapman showed a reporter dozens of doors to warehouses, truck-trailers and the camper he lives in that were crashed open by investigators, using explosives, firearms or brute force.

"I'm mad because I offered them the keys to every door here, and they just wanted to be cowboys and crash their way in,'' said Chapman, who lives in a trailer at the rear of the site. "We offered to help them, and they just decided to do it their way. They're complete morons. They trashed the place for no reason.''

McKee and FBI spokesman Anthony Montero said the number of agents was necessitated by the size of the facility -- upwards of 100,000 square feet - - and the quantity of potentially dangerous material inside.

Montero said the search was "methodical," and denied that shotguns or explosives were used to open doors -- a technique he said would be unwise in any case given the nature of what investigators were seeking.

"If anything, I would say this was heightened procedure. I think people were being twice as careful," he said. "The idea that anyone was careless or reckless, I believe the facts will show the opposite: that people were being triple careful."
~snip~
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/04/18/BAGRU66UPA1.DTL

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. Oh, so I guess this guy went around after they left and shot up

his property? Blew a few doors up with some, what, firecrackers?

[rooboy]

4. "not related to terrorism" means the likely culprits are white. n/t

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

6. Or Right wingers....

[DBoon]

8. Yeah, the guys who did OKC were not terrorists

just ordinary guys who got a little carried away.

[ScrewyRabbit]

9. Same with the guys they found in Texas

with cyanide compounds and many, many rounds of ammo in a warehouse.